Blog

Why do emergencies create a bigger need for resource management?

Dec 11 by Stepan Bolotnikov

Nobody likes an emergency situation. Whether you’re dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood, or some other major disaster, you’ve got to be able to kick your resource management plans into high-gear. But why is resource management so crucial during these emergency periods?
1. Because your people are counting on you

Whether you’re in charge of 10 people or 10 million people, they are your biggest resource (even though you probably tend to think of physical things more as resources).

Your organization can’t run without people. If you don’t have a solid, easily accessible resource management plan in place when an emergency strikes, your company will be in trouble.

After all, the last thing you can expect is for employees to come up with a plan now. People rarely think clearly during and shortly after an emergency. They’re probably dealing with problems of their own, so the last thing they’re capable of is coming in and devising an emergency strategy. Instead, you need a pre-planned resource blueprint that will be easy for even the most distracted employees to follow.

2. Because time is of the essence

No matter how successful you may have been before disaster struck, all that matters now is how you respond to it. If you don’t start the recovery process as soon as possible, you may miss out on your chance to recover altogether.Like it or not, your future depends on what you do right now with your available resources.

3. Because you have fewer resources than usual

If you think that resource management is important on a “normal” day, imagine how important it is on a day when you don’t have any power and when you can’t even get in touch with your employees or a manager on their cell phones or via email.

Since employees (and other resources) may be tied up with other issues they feel are very important, having a clear resource plan in place and consistent policies will make sure that even the minimal resources you do have during an emergency will be working at their most optimal level to get things back under control for you.